The Baltimore Ravens faltered to the Cleveland Browns in Week 5. Even though the game resulted in an overtime loss, we can learn a great deal about what Baltimore is doing by taking a closer look at the snap counts. There was an interesting storyline developing with the Ravens’ offense in that game that will have a big impact the rest of the season.

Baltimore got their first-round 2018 NFL draft pick out on the field last week. Tight end Hayden Hurst was active for the first time after undergoing surgery in the preseason for a stress fracture in his foot. However, the Ravens kept his usage pretty limited in his first game back.

Hurst saw only 21 snaps against the Browns, earning two targets and one reception for seven yards. Given the 57 passing attempts by Baltimore in the game, Hurst’s snap count and production in the passing game is a little lower than what many would have expected. That’s especially the case when Nick Boyle received 39 snaps, Mark Andrews got 33 and Maxx Williams for 27.

But in reality, this was the Ravens bringing Hurst in slowly. Thanks to the solid play from the other three tight ends on the roster, Baltimore doesn’t need to rush Hurst into the lineup quite yet. Instead, they can slowly increase his snap count to help him knock off a little rust, get back into true game shape and increase his confidence without further risking him to greater injury.

While I’d expect the next few games to continue to feature Hurst having a relatively low snap count, that shouldn’t be for long. Hurst is the best pass catcher at tight end on the roster and a solid blocker as well. As Baltimore continues to try and improve their rushing attack and present more consistent weapons for quarterback Joe Flacco, Hurst will see his playing time rise up. My expectation would be for Hurst to lead the tight ends in snaps by around the Ravens’ Week 10 bye.

We’ll see Sunday when Baltimore takes on the Tennessee Titans. If Hurst immediately gets his snap count upgraded, it could represent the Ravens feeling confident in him or less than confident in their other options.

Check out the next page for the full list of offensive snap counts for Week 5’s loss to Cleveland.

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